jalapeno_dude
AKA Panda Judo Eel
Update Zero: Without Form and Void
2000 BC
The fate of any civilization is linked intimately to the fate of the one that preceded it, back and back and back into the mists of the past. There is no such thing as a true fresh start; for humans are humans, whose culture and bodies progress, smoothly or roughly, from the generation before them.
So there is no one moment in which civilization truly began, no sharp dividing line in the sand before which was chaos and after, order. The dividing line is instead a curve, varying wildly from point to point; in one place, it may have come six thousand years ago; in another, perhaps three.
But what if it were possible to smooth the curve, to bring together several areas in roughly the same condition of development, and from this point to let these areas expand in synchronicity?
Well, it's worth a try.
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In the legends of its people, Egypt was unified under one ruler and blessed by the gods since the first flood of the Nile--that is, since the creation of the universe. And indeed, for over a thousand years Egypt both upper and lower, the whole of the world but for a few insignificant areas ruled by savage barbarians, were united. But for a terrible decade a century ago, the Nile did not flood, and the people whispered that the gods had departed.
Without the gods and the Nile, Egypt could not stay united, and it splintered into dozens of petty, squabbling states. But just as the flooding of the Nile returned after a period, so too did the people hope that the gods would return, and with them bring order. And indeed, fifty years ago it seemed this would happen; one kingdom in the North, and one in the South, fought to determine which gods, and which man, would rule all Egypt. But it was not to be, in this world at least, as the two armies destroyed each other and each other's kingdoms. Once again Egypt splintered into city-states.
Memphis is one of the cities where the lack of unification is regretted the most. Ancient capital of Lower Egypt and the Old Kingdom, it is the center of the cult of Ptah, the great World-Opener and creator. Now, a young ambitious king--would-be pharaoh--rises, hoping to imitate the legendary Menes, also from Memphis, who first united the lands of the Nile.
Hadir Unicus, on the Mediterranean coast, is another of the nearly three dozen Egyptian splinter states. Three things distinguish it from its neighbors. The first is its advantageous location on the sea, making it the southern end of the well-traveled trade route to Arvad, the peculiar Phoenician trade hub where the common people, not a monarch, rule. The second: the unique names, suggesting a non-Egyptian origin, of its pantheon, Unicus, led by Yori, the god of the Sun, luck, and power. Third is the large dependence on slaves of the city (also called Hadir), who are of course common throughout Egypt but not to the extent seen in Hadir, which even uses them for its army.
In the last twenty years, ships from Hadir have in small but increasing numbers stopped not first at Arvad but at a much larger island, at the city of Tyrion, part of the newborn Kingdom of Tyros. Tyros, too, is a splinter state, but from the recently defunct Kadrian Empire. A generation ago, a group of soldiers, losers of what at that time was still a two-way civil war, fled west to an uncharted island, which they named Tyros. They quickly subjugated the native people (though some still hold out in the hills and rocks of the southwest) and set themselves up as rulers, importing the class divisions (rulers, merchants, peasants, and slaves), and pantheon (ruled by Thorl, the King of Gods and God of War). Now, under King Tesa I, the second ruler of Tyros, the fledgling state intends to expand its role in international trade greatly, and perhaps regain the lands it was exiled from.
These lands, once part of the Kadrian Empire, which formed as a response to continued invasions by the Hurrian tribes, have splintered back into the city-states they are accustomed to being. One of those city-states is Tyre, which, though for a long period an effective vassal of Kadria, was only for a short time just before the civil war incorporated into the empire itself. Tyre was founded by peoples fleeing from the wrath of the Hurrians, notably those around the city of Urkesh, whose gods Tyre has adopted and renamed. The city quickly became a major trade center, exporting textiles and Tyrian dye, though, much to its resentment, it is still an also-ran compared to Arvad.
The capital of the Kadrian Empire did not fare any better during its collapse than the provinces did. The city itself was burned to the ground, then the rebuilt city, New Kadria, was taken over by an usurper encouraged by powerful aristocrats at court. The various conflicts arising from the collapse of the Empire have ended, but Neo-Kadria has inherited a well-trained army and a burning ambition to prove that Kadrian power can be lasting.
Northeast of Kadria lies Urkesh, the first significant city to be taken by the Hurrian horse hordes, driving out the now-inhabitants of Tyre in the process. Newly civilized, Urkesh has more potential than it does reality--it controls an advantageous position for trade, is the site of the temple of the chief Hurrian god, Kumarbi, and has an extremely-well trained chariot corps. But the less civilized Hurrians are itching to plunder its riches, and any resurgent Mesopotamian empire will likely have a bone to pick with what it will see as the representatives of the hated Hurrians.
Akkadia, though, in the south of the Fertile Crescent, has never been bothered by Hurrians (though a century ago, the Hurrian hordes were responsible for the Gutian exodus which overran the great Akkadian empire). Like Memphis, like Neo-Kadria, the king longs to re-form the empire that he sees as his birthright; like Tyros, the chief god of the pantheon is a god of war, in this case Nonanost.
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Let us follow the route of a typical trade good--cloth colored with Tyrian dye, say. Perhaps it is bought by a trader from Rabbah, who sells it at the great market there to another trader, who takes it on the long journey across the desert to Akkad. Then perhaps it changes hands at Uruk, then again is traded in Lagash, to a foreigner with a strange accent from the east, who returns to is homeland then sells it to someone who, from his point of view, has a strange eastern accent. By a series of transfers such as these, it reaches Sutkagen-Dor, the westernmost outpost of the Indus Valley civilization, called Meluhha by the few Mesopotamian traders who travel this far east. The core of this civilization is, of course, the Indus valley.
The Indus delta is usually full of villages squabbling to control the lucrative trade from the dual pulsing hearts of the Indus river--Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa--but for the moment, one village, Tarashna, has grown into a city and incorporated the surrounding villages to become Karanu. The Kings of Karanu are obsessed with becoming the center of the world, thus creating balance between Dama, the earth mother, and Tuva, the destroyer. For the moment, they seem to have succeeded--but many other states look hungrily at the influx of trade at the delta.
One of the few states not on the Indus river is Sumbiti, to the south of the delta, a quiet nation founded by those who drove a tyrant out of their city, Shlobi. It ekes out a living trading ivory to the neighboring cities--but how long can its people, who eschew violence and praise justice, last in a world of war and betrayal?
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It is possible, though highly unlikely, that a few traders from the Indus have made the journey, either by land or by sea, across Asia to the land of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, but they were likely ignored. For China is the world, so what of importance can exist outside it?
In oldest times, the legends say, first the Three August Ones, Heavenly, Earthly, and Human, then the Five Emperors, the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu, Ku, Yao, and Shun, ruled all of China. But these times of legend have passed. In truth, there is really no such place as China, save for the dream of a whisper of a legend, but rather a multitude of peoples and cities striving to expand.
One of the more notable civilizations is the Yue, based in Guiji on the mouth of the Yangtze, whose merchants can be seen across China and beyond. The king sees his duty is foremost to protect his people, leading most interestingly to a large, powerful navy that patrols the main trade routes.
On the mouth of the Yellow River is Guo, a civilization with highly advanced crafted items. The Guo empires constantly strive to unite the entire world under their rule, tipping the balance of the universe in favor of Xola, the day, from Xoluc, the night.
Further down the river, almost on the edge of civilization, is Zhou, which claims to be both the physical and spiritual heir of the legendary Yellow Emperor. It therefore seeks to unite the whole of the Yellow River, and has amassed a large army, aided by its vast stockpiles of bronze.
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OOC
Yeah, the China section sucks. Sorry.
The gray lines on the map are major trade routes.
Image sizes have been increased because they seemed really small. Apologies for resulting graininess, but I think it works better this way.
I've temporarily removed the infrastructure stats, since I don't have information about it. It may return next turn, though, so you may want to mention it in your orders.
I took the liberty of adding some connections between people's nations, especially in the Middle East, to try to fit together a shared history. It does imply that Tyros and Neo-Kadria should have the same gods, but Neverwonagame3 can always say that the usurper changed the pantheon or something.
New players are encouraged--pick a city, assign it a basic history and culture, I'll give you stats, and then you can send orders.
Next Deadline: Wednesday, 7/2, 21:00 EST. This will be a 100-year update. Please allocate your spending points (in any combination, including fractions) to various items that you wish your nation to advance in. Some indication, preferably in the form of a map, of how you envision expanding in 100 years (and, for that matter, how you intend to survive for 100 years), would be helpful, as would some strategies (STRATEGIES, NOT TACTICS, PLEASE!!!). 2 PM limit for orders--and include your stats at the top. I'll only accept PMed orders, so don't put them in the thread. Proper spelling is appreciated as well.
